Tales of the Endless Empire-Chapter 141: Termitehive (:

Thalion radiated an aura of pure, unrelenting fear. The effect of his armor was more potent than ever before, freezing most of the newcomers in their tracks, paralyzed and unable to move. Unfortunately, the mage and sniper termites remained unaffected and continued their relentless assault.

The afflicted snipers, their movements stiff and erratic, dove into the creeping brown mist, continuing to pepper him with projectiles. It became clear that the mist wasn’t merely a visual hindrance—it was a domain skill, one that diminished the suppressive effects of his fear-inducing armor.

Thalion's mind churned with possibilities, his focus divided as he deftly dodged the barbed spikes fired from the sniper termites with their shimmering, dragonfly-like wings. He considered his options. As the Umbral Predator, he might be able to consume the mist using his dark tendrils, but doing so would likely free the frozen newcomers, creating an even deadlier situation.

The only other choice was unleashing his own blood mist domain to combat the encroaching haze. Yet, doubt gnawed at him—what if the two domains merely merged, amplifying the chaos instead of dispelling the enemy's advantage? Meanwhile, the brown mist thickened, spreading like an insidious tide as one of the mages continued to exhale it into the cave.

The weight of the situation pressed down on Thalion. If these guards were already this formidable, how much stronger would the queen be? For the first time in a long while, his confidence wavered. Not every E-grade beast could be this overwhelmingly powerful… right?

Trapped in a battle where the enemy wielded devastating ranged attacks and an oppressive domain skill, an idea suddenly struck him. A red, sinewy vine shot from his hand, snaking toward one of the mage termites he had slain earlier. With a sharp tug, Thalion acquired its form, a grin creeping across his face.

Domain of the Hive Breath (Legendary)

The Chitin Shaper exhales a dense, brown mist that blankets the battlefield. Allies within the mist gain heightened physical resilience and accelerated regeneration. Enemies, however, suffer from a sluggish mind, slowed reactions, and a creeping sense of disorientation.

Subterranean Surge (Exalted)

The Chitin Shaper summons a chaotic eruption of earthen spikes, mimicking the frenzied motion of a termite swarm. These spikes can entrap foes or form protective barriers for allies.

Burrowing Bastion (Ancient)

The Chitin Shaper anchors themselves and their allies into the earth, creating an impenetrable cocoon of stone and soil. While inside, all allies recover health and mana at an accelerated rate.

Thalion’s eyes narrowed as he read the skill descriptions. These abilities were leagues above what he’d anticipated. A legendary race? The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. The Chitin Shaper’s domain wasn’t just a defensive advantage—it was a relentless assault on his mind and body, weakening his responses at every turn.

Transferring the skills to his human form, Thalion discarded the Chitin Shaper’s body with a flick of his wrist. He would experiment with these abilities later, once he figured out how to infuse them with darkness and adapt them for the Umbral Predator.

If that were possible, the Umbral Predator would gain a significant power boost. Oh, he had completely forgotten to take the form of the massive termite he had slain earlier. With a burst of speed, he dashed toward its main body, laying his hand on its coarse, chitin-covered surface. A glowing mana barrier materialized in front of him, granting him a precious few seconds as the sharp spikes from his enemies shattered against it.

Spiked Barrage (Exalted)

The Giant Termite Warrior summons sharp earth spikes that form across its chitinous armor. With a forceful movement, the warrior fires the spikes at enemies like earthen projectiles.

Thalion frowned. That was... strange. The massive creature had only a single skill. Had the giant termite temporarily gained abilities from the magic circle earlier? The thought nagged at him—he’d never encountered anything like it before.

For now, he retained the form of the giant warrior. Perhaps it would let him infiltrate the hive unnoticed, bypassing their defenses without triggering any alarms. While he’d hoped for another exciting skill to add to his arsenal, expecting to hit the jackpot twice in a row was admittedly a stretch, he mused with faint amusement.

The situation in the cavern was growing worse. More termites were pouring in from various tunnels, their numbers swelling with every moment. A few mages had joined the fray, their presence marked by the brown mist thickening around him, spreading like a sentient shadow.

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Thalion's unease deepened as the mist crept closer, coiling around him like a living thing. He didn’t want to test its effects directly—his earlier belief that his strong soul rendered him immune to mental attacks had been proven dangerously wrong. Somehow, he needed to counter the domain skill, but for now, no solution presented itself.

He darted through the battlefield, aiming for the mages in the distance, but they proved frustratingly elusive. They dodged his strikes with surprising speed or summoned walls of stone to shield themselves. Frustrated, Thalion unleashed a series of crimson slashes, but the termites sank into the ground, reappearing at different locations before spewing more of that infernal brown mist.

"This can’t go on," he muttered to himself, narrowly avoiding another spray of spikes. The mist wasn’t a simple toxic cloud—it was a domain skill whose potency increased with every caster contributing to it. With the new arrivals, there were likely nine or more Chitin Shapers fueling its expansion.

The mist wasn’t guaranteed to kill him outright, but why take the risk? Thalion decided it was time to thin the enemy ranks.

Dozens of termites stumbled into the cavern through twenty separate tunnels, most paralyzed by the overwhelming mental assault of Thalion’s armor. Unfortunately, as the mist crept closer, many began to recover, their movements becoming more coordinated as they attacked.

Still, most of the termites lacked ranged attacks. Their stone spikes were too slow to hit him, and their charges left them vulnerable once they exited the mist. The moment they stepped out, they froze in terror again, becoming easy prey for his deadly slashes.

In his element, Thalion unleashed crimson slash after crimson slash, carving through the termite ranks. Occasionally, he sent blood thorns lancing toward the mages, managing to catch two off guard. One fell instantly to a headshot, while the other, struck in the leg, writhed in agony as thorns grew from within her, ending her life seconds later.

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The current situation was manageable—barely. Thalion eliminated termites rapidly enough to prevent the domain from expanding too much, maintaining enough space to maneuver and strike.

From time to time, stray spikes struck him, but his armor withstood most of the impact, and any damage was swiftly repaired by its self-healing enchantments.

Still, Thalion knew he couldn’t stay much longer. Delving deeper into the hive was unthinkable. Killing the queen before teleporting to the next stage seemed impossible now—a frustrating dilemma given his curiosity about her abilities.

After all, the queen was likely nothing more than a monstrous birthing machine. Yet, the possibilities left him wondering. If he assumed her form, would her eggs still grow even if he wasn’t in it? Logically, it should work—his Umbral Predator’s stomach processed everything he consumed, regardless of his current shape.

The termite queen had managed to craft an ability similar to his armor, though far more intricate and suited for underground combat. The only possible counter might be water or wind spells, but wind would only worsen the situation in the confined cave. As for water, Thalion didn’t have nearly enough to nullify the encroaching brown mist.

His Sanguine Thorn contained an abundance of blood, but it was empowered, and he couldn’t justify wasting it on something as mundane as mist. He might need it for a more significant fight later. Then, another idea struck him—could he burn the mist away with his flamethrower?

Without hesitation, he erected a powerful mana barrier and unleashed a torrent of fire toward the swirling mist ahead. To his satisfaction, it worked—the mist dissipated where the flames roared, the skill burning away the noxious magic. Unfortunately, his concentration broke as a sharp spike hurtled toward him.

Thalion dodged the projectile at the last moment, relying on the heightened senses granted by his title. It allowed him to evade attacks without needing to see them. Still, he couldn’t help but reflect that if he were closer to level 70—or even 80—he wouldn’t need to dodge so often in the first place.

Weaving through the chaos with telekinetic dash, Thalion occasionally summoned mana barriers to create space for his next attacks. His empowered crimson slashes still proved devastating, slicing through the termites with lethal precision when they struck vital areas.

At one point, he attempted a tectonic slam, but it had almost no effect. No surprise there—the termites were clearly attuned to the earth element.

As the fight drew to a close, Thalion scrambled to collect as many termite corpses as possible for a future feast before retreating. However, more and more termites were launching those frustrating stone spikes at him, leaving him with no chance to counterattack.

Deflecting one spike with his sword, he activated Mistform, dissolving into an ethereal vapor and speeding toward the surface with incredible speed. The entire ordeal had been far worse than he’d anticipated. The termite queen wasn’t just powerful; she was intelligent. Her newest spawn wielded abilities that were frighteningly advanced.

It was disappointing that he hadn’t been able to analyze the snipers more closely. Maybe next time.

The more he thought about it, the more unsettling it became. If the queen was smart enough to breed such skills into her brood, what was stopping her from launching a direct attack on his base? He doubted the termites would struggle too much—especially given their ability to tunnel under walls, rendering most traditional defenses useless.

Reaching the open air, Thalion soared higher and turned toward his base. His mind raced with plans. He needed earth mages immediately to inspect the area for vulnerabilities. And that was just one item on an ever-growing to-do list.

By the time he landed on the tower of his base, Mistform had allowed him to arrive unseen, a faint smile creeping across his face.

“Time to improve Eagly’s wind affinity,” he muttered, descending into his underground cultivation chamber, ready to tackle his next big challenge. Time was running short.